The Sea Witch
The American clipper ship Sea Witch launched on December 8th 1846 was designed by naval architect John W. Griffiths. The Sea Witch was built for the China trading firm Howland & Aspinwall.
First American Clipper The Sea Witch 4 Left Order Today!
She was the model for the American clipper ship design, The Sea Witch influenced American design more than any other because of her fast hull design. The naval architect John W. Griffiths built the first fast hull design in 1845 called the “Rainbow”. The next ship he built was even faster in hull design the next year the Sea Witch launched.
The Sea Witch designed as a clipper ship influenced ship building. New vessels were built to the standards of the Sea Witch model which was well known in ship language of fast vessels.
She was built by the shipbuilding company of Smith & Dimon in New York. The Sea Witch was 192 feet long with a 43 foot beam and displaced 908 tons. There was a special purpose for the vessel and her design. She was to carry high value freight of the day. High value freight at the time was porcelain and tea and needed to be transported to the East Coast of the United States from China fast.
Her especially tall masts at 140 foot carried five tiers of sails and the same for the shorter foremast and mizzenmast. Falling into the class of tall ships, for a brief time she was the tallest ship afloat. She also holds the title of being America’s first clipper ships.
The figurehead of the Sea Witch sported a Chinese dragon with an open mouth, the tail was partly coiled. She was painted black at deck level she had a contrasting sheer-line strip. All the spars were bright work.
The Sea Witch is a mono-hulled sailing vessel that held the speed record for the Hong Kong to New York run between 1849 through 2003. It is one of longest speed records held. Her first record set in 1847 by Captain Robert Waterman “Bully Bob” Waterman making the record setting Hong Kong to New York run in 77 days. The record was again broken again by the same captain in March 1849 making the run in 74 days.
The speed record was held up until 2003 when the “Great American II” a tri-maran broke the record making the run in 72 days and 21 hours. But the Sea Witch still hold the record for the Hong Kong to New York run by a mono-hulled sailing ship.
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